Kuznetsova, Nadal Upset; Safin Says Love the One You Sleep With
Posted on October 12, 2006
Sharapova Wins, Kuzy Upset at MoscowMOSCOW, Russia -- Russia's Top 3 took the court at the Kremlin Cup on Wednesday, but only two survived. Svetlana Kuznetsova, one of this season's hottest players, was the biggest surprise of the day, falling quietly to one of the many other Russians in the draw, Vera Zvonareva. Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova managed to advance in straight sets.
Kuznetsova, seeded No.3 this week, had been playing arguably the best tennis of the fall season, claiming consecutive titles at Bali and Beijing and reaching the semis last week at Stuttgart. But not only did she look uncomfortable on the brand new Kremlin Cup court surface, she was also up against inspired former Top 10 player Zvonareva, who has had an impressive year herself. Zvonareva went for her shots from start to finish, and never faced a break point during the 61 63 dismantling.
"It was an advantage for me to play a match already, as she had a first round bye," said Zvonareva, who was 2-7 lifetime against Kuznetsova coming in. "The court is a bit sticky but I was already used to it. The score may make the match look like it was easy, but to play someone like Svetlana is never easy. We have always had tough matches. I kept going for my shots, and today it worked."
Zvonareva's victory over the No.4-ranked Kuznetsova represents the sixth Top 10 victory of her career and first in nearly two years. It is just her second Top 5 victory, having beaten a No.3-ranked Venus Williams at Roland Garros in 2003. The Russian, who has been as high as No.9 herself, is now through to her third Kremlin Cup quarterfinal.
Playing for the first time since capturing her second Grand Slam title at the US Open, Sharapova was also a little bit out of sorts, but still managed to advance in two sets, 64 75, over qualifier Ekaterina Bychkova. The Russian teenager won a routine first set but ran into some problems with her aggressive opponent in the second, fighting back from a 5-3 deficit and saving a set point en route to the win.
"Considering this was my first match in four weeks, it was a good performance," Sharapova said. "I got a bit sloppy in the second set, but I stepped it up when I needed to. It was great to have the support of the crowd. When you play a fellow Russian, you have to expect the fan support to be even, but the atmosphere was great tonight."
"I didn't want to think about winning the set," Bychkova said. "I've seen others get her into the same situation where they have set point against her and I didn't want to think about it, just play each point then see what happens. I didn't play so well against her serve, and my serve was not too good today, but it was a good experience to play against Maria, especially here in Moscow."
Sharapova and Zvonareva were contesting the first two second round matches of the week.
Petrova, who came into her home event fresh off a fifth title of the season in Stuttgart, cruised in one of three first round matches on the Wednesday schedule, ousting Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 62 62. The No.5-seeded Russian was in complete control from start to finish, particularly on her serve; she smacked eight aces and never even faced a break point in eight service games. She won in 54 minutes.
In the other two first round matches played, Samantha Stosur fought past Swiss qualifier Emmanuelle Gagliardi, 46 63 62, and No.6 seed Patty Schnyder blitzed an injury-returned Chanda Rubin, 63 60. It was the third consecutive early round encounter between Schnyder and Rubin, the Swiss also winning in the second round of Luxembourg two weeks ago and in the first round of Stuttgart last week.
Twelve players will battle for the six remaining quarterfinal spots Thursday. Top seed Amelie Mauresmo makes her first appearance of the week against Elena Vesnina, who pulled off a miraculous first round victory over Li Na on Tuesday. No.4 seed Elena Dementieva also plays her first match of the week, taking on Israel's Shahar Peer.
Two seeded doubles teams were in action Wednesday, but only one managed to survive. No.3 seeds Kveta Peschke and Francesca Schiavone won their first round match easily, but No.2 seeds Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs were given an early dismissal by veterans Janette Husarova and Elena Likhovtseva, 64 46 63.
-- WTA
No. 2 Seed and Molik Ousted at WTA Bangkok
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Knowing this could be the last match of her professional tennis career, Mariana Diaz-Oliva found a way to defeat an opponent she had never beaten before. Memories of 14 years on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour racing through her head, the 30-year-old Argentine rallied from a set down to post a 67(4) 63 64 victory over No.2 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues on Wednesday at the PTT Bangkok Open.
"I've played her so many times and I've never beaten her," said Diaz-Oliva, who will retire after this event. "When I saw I had her in the draw I was worried and thought this could be my last match. Walking out to the court, I felt strange, I wasn't crying, but I really felt that this may be my last match."
Trailing 5-3 in the third set, Medina Garrigues saved two match points but Diaz-Oliva didn't waste any more opportunities in the next game and served out the match to love. It was her first victory over the Spaniard in four attempts.
"After losing the first set," Diaz-Oliva said, "I started to think a little bit about my career, about what I had done and this possibly being my last singles match. But then I just decided that if she (Medina Garrigues) was going to win, she would have to do something special. So I just focused and played my best. When I won the second set, I thought 'ok, I can win this and I just kept going.' She is a very difficult player to beat as she just keeps fighting, even if she loses a point and you think 'she's tired'. I'm really happy to win this match today, to finally beat her so close to the end of my career."
Diaz-Oliva, who will face Aiko Nakamura in the second round, said injuries and family plans made her decide to hang up the racquet.
"My body just hurts," she added. "Every day I hurt all over and my body is telling me it's time to retire. Also I'm getting married at the end of the year (December 8th) and I'm planning to have a family -- it's time for me. When I look back, I'm quite happy with my career, I always played hard and fought my best. I know that I didn't have the talent to be the No.1 in the world, but I think I did the best with what I had."
No.3 seed Nathalie Dechy knew she had a tough match ahead of her against qualifier Yan Zi. The Frenchwoman lost to the Chinese doubles specialist earlier this year at the Australian Open but took revenge at Strasbourg.
"I had a lot to adjust to," Dechy said. "I had a jet lag and the change in temperature, plus I was playing indoors before I came here. I'm pleased with how quickly I adjusted and I feel I will be even more comfortable tomorrow. It's amazingly humid here, I think I sweated more today than I ever have before in a tennis match."
Dechy next faces Austrian Sybille Bammer, a 61 63 victor over Nicole Pratt. The two already faced each other three times this year. Bammer leads the head-to-head series 2-1 but Dechy won the last encounter in Luxembourg.
"We seem to keep drawing each other," Dechy said. "We played at Wimbledon, the US Open and again in Luxembourg. She saw me earlier and we laughed that it was impossible that we are playing each other again."
Other Wednesday winners were No.5 Eleni Daniilidou, No.8 Jelena Kostanic, Vania King, Erika Takao, Klara Zakopalova, Nakamura and Severine Bremond.
-- WTA
Back-from-injury Johansson Shocks Nadal at Stockholm
Former Swedish Top 20er Joachim Johansson made a splash in his return from injury, ousting top-seeded Rafael Nadal 6-4, 7-6(4) in second-round play Wednesday at the Stockholm Open.
Johansson, ranked 690th, was playing his first ATP event since February after being sidelined due to right shoulder and elbow injuries.
"It's my greatest win ever," Johansson told the press. "I had to play aggressive. You can't get involved in long rallies with him -- he's so good and patient."
Earlier in the day, defending champion James Blake downed Thomas Johansson of Sweden 6-3, 6-2 in the first round. Other first-round winners were No. 5 Jarkko Nieminen of Finland and Simon Greul.
No. 6 seed Olivier Rochus advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-2. Rochus's countryman and No. 7 seed Kristof Vliegan needed three sets to defeat the promising Frank Dancevic of Canada 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Eighth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling also reached the quarterfinals after crushing countryman Jonas Bjorkman 6-0, 6-2.
Davydenko Into ATP Moscow Quarters
Top seed Nikolay Davydenko earned a trip to the Moscow quarterfinals Wednesday following a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Russian countryman Teimuraz Gabashvili.
"It sounds like it was an easy match but it wasn't. He really tested me from the baseline in the first set and I had to serve very well in order to win," said Davydenko, who hit seven aces and broke Gabasvili three times.
Davydenko will next meet Max "The Beast" Mirnyi, a winner over Kevin Kim who retired due to a back injury after dropping the first set 6-0.
Second-seeded Dmitry Tursunov was stunned by 20-year-old Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4). It was Stakhovsky's first ATP-level win of the season after five defeats.
Russian wildcard Igor Kunitsyn moved into the last eight with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic.
Also posting wins were No. 7 seed Fabrice "The Magician" Santoro who brushed aside Wesley Moodie 6-3, 6-2, but his countryman and No. 8 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu lost to Janko Tipsarevic 7-6(8), 6-4 in first-round action.
Ljubicic, Roddick Win Again at ATP Vienna
Defending champion and top seed Ivan Ljubicic and No. 3 seed Andy Roddick avoided the upset bug on Wednesday in Vienna. Ljubicic hit 14 aces and won 30 of his 32 first-serve points to bury German Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-3.
Roddick, playing his first tour match since the US Open final, cruised 6-0, 7-6(2) over Argentine Jose Acasuso. The American will next face Richard Gasquet who defeated Colombian Alejandro Falla 7-6(4), 6-3.
"I was surprised myself I got off to such a good start," Roddick told Reuters. "In the second set, Jose played much better and took away the opportunities I had in the first."
Roddick, who already has the Cincinnati Masters title to his name this year, is looking to solidify his place in Shanghai with a successful run in Vienna. The 24-year-old faces young Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the next round.
Big-hitting No. 5 seed Fernando Gonzalez dismissed Spaniard Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-4 in under an hour. No. 8 seed Novak Djokovic also advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tomas Zib.
Not so fortunate were the No. 7 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero and No. 6 Tommy Haas. Ferrero was upended by local favorite Jurgen Melzer, who won 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3. Haas was ushered-out by Dominik Hrbaty 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
With Etienne de Villiers recently saying that the Masters Cup move to Shanghai (which happened before he came on board) was a bad one, here's a blast from the past from the Houston Chronicle: "The ATP is close to awarding its season-ending championship to Shanghai, China, in a move that could be worth at least $20 million to the men's tennis tour. The Masters Cup plays its second of two years in Houston in November, and then for 2005 through 2007 the Cup would move to Shanghai, according to tennis sources. While the deal is not yet finalized, the ATP board was expected to approve it during the two-week French Open, which began last week. The ATP, after a 10-year stay in Germany, has rotated the Masters Cup to different cities since 1999, including Shanghai in 2002. Houston promoter Jim McIngvale of Gallery Furniture won the current two-year run with a $7 million annual sanction fee, and Shanghai will certainly pay at least that much, the sources say. But the outspoken McIngvale, who drew criticism from European players last November for wearing an American flag on his shirt while rooting for Andre Agassi, has some harsh words for the ATP. "The ATP is a terrible partner, absolutely terrible," said McIngvale, who did not bid to extend the Cup in Houston. "A great product, great kids, but the senior management of the ATP is terrible."...Thursday in Vienna, Andy Roddick vs. Richard "Baby Fed" Gasquet...10-time Grand Slam doubles champion Anne Smith has wrote the book "GRAND SLAM Coach Your Mind to Win in Sports, Business, and Life." "I wrote this book to inspire athletes, parents, executives, teachers and coaches to make positive changes in their lives, to make their lives easier and more fulfilling, and to improve their professional and personal relationships. I want to help individuals understand the importance of managing their minds and emotions."...Jonas Bjorkman, blogging for the ATP and not looking good for his doubles partnership with John McEnroe: "I lost to Robin Soderling in the second round of Stockholm Open today, 6-0, 6-2. The evil virus-infection that Petra and Max have been carrying for a while now has really jumped on me too. I had no energy at all...John McEnroe and I had a seminar with the sponsors and the business elite at lunchtime today. I really like that kind of gathering; they are both interesting and entertaining, and they always broaden your horizons a little bit. At the seminar, McEnroe said, jokingly, that he is worried that I will be a little bit too kind against my good friends Joachim "Pim-Pim" Johansson and Thomas Johansson in the doubles tomorrow. He is here to win, he wants to show why he is considered to be a legend! The moderator asked him if the mix between a "Mr Nice Guy-on the court" and a "Mr Not So Nice Guy-on the court" makes the perfect balance, and from what I could hear, John agreed. Our doubles match tomorrow is sold out! It's even impossible to get tickets on the black market! It would be such a fantastic feeling if we could show our best side and win."...Where is Andy Roddick amidst all the ATP blogging frenzy?...From the Marat Safin blog: "Good night everybody, I wish you all sweet dreams and no nightmares. If you're not alone I wish that the person next to you loves you very much and hopefully for you, you feel the same for the other person, otherwise you will have a tough time falling asleep. Talk to you tomorrow my friends."...Mark Philippoussis lost 1st round to Sam Warburg at the Sacramento Challenger...The Times reports that the British LTA is about to potentially follow up the acquisition of American Brad Gilbert with another Yank, Paul Annacone...The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that Mark Philippoussis, Mardy Fish and Donald Young are expected to compete in the Challenger event in the city beginning Oct. 31...From press release: "Versaly Entertainment, a leading mobile media and entertainment company, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Premier Alliances and the number two ranked tennis player in the world, Rafael Nadal, to develop, produce and distribute mobile wallpapers, ringtones, text messages and video of Rafael "Rafa" Nadal."...From the ATP: "[Ivan] Ljubicic wore a black armband during his second round win over Florian Mayer at the BA-CA Tennis Trophy in Vienna and later paid tribute to [Walt] Landers. "His passing came so unexpectedly and left us ill prepared for this task. We never had a chance to say goodbye to Walt in person, never even had an inkling that something might be wrong with him," said Ljubicic. "I know I'm speaking on behalf of all the players when I say that Walt will be sorely missed. So many generations of players have come up the tour ranks while Walt was one of the most familiar faces in the locker room and the player lounge. He was the one person that always approached everyone, and always had a smile ready for everyone."...From Tennisreporters.net's Matt Cronin: "Is this a real paragraph from ATPtennis.com? "Frenchman Marc Gicquel dismissed Brit Jonathan Marray in two tight sets, 6-4, 7-6(3). Marray, who has been on useful doubles form recently with his brother, Andy, only won 46 percent of points on his second serve in the 83-minute loss." Guys and gals: Andy's brother is Jamie Murray -- another guy. Jonathan Marray is from Liverpool. The Scottish Murray boys are from Dunblane."...Carlos Moya and Tim Henman have received wildcards into next week's Masters Series-Madrid.
Also see:
Rios Clinches Year-end No. 1 Rank, Changes Senior Tour
http://www.tennis-x.com/vachblog/2006-10-11/12.php
Ode to Bodo
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2006-10-11/98.php